The global service provider VoIP and IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) equipment market grew 12% in 2014 as Voice over LTE (VoLTE) grows in popularity, according to a new Infonetics Research report.

The market grew to $4.2 billion as carriers look to make their networks simpler and more cost-effective, as well as offer next-generation services."The service provider VoIP and IMS market posted solid growth in 2014 due to VoLTE deployments and network transformation projects. We feel positive about 2015 with VoLTE activity continuing and Voice over Wi-Fi beginning to ramp," said Diane Myers, principal analyst for VoIP, UC and IMS at Infonetics Research.

Infonetics found that 15 carriers, including AT&T, Verizon and NTT DoCoMo, have launched commercial VoLTE services in parts of the U.S., Asia and Europe. Infonetics predicted that the global service provider VoIP and IMS equipment market will grow to $4.6 billion by 2019.

Optical network market sees slight growth

The global optical network market saw some growth in the fourth quarter of 2014, taking in $3.375 billion in revenue, according to a report from ACG Research.

"The 4Q revenue jump has been observed within the optical market for the last three out of four years. The year-over-year growth indicates a slight increase of spending, but not necessarily a bullish market," said Dennis Ward, principal optical analyst at ACG.

According to the report, service provider software-defined networking and network functions virtualization, combined with packet-optical transport system (P-OTS) and metro WDM, are gaining traction in network infrastructure selection and deployment. The P-OTS segment saw a $0.5 billion run rate, a 28.9% increase from 2013. The metro WDM maintained its $1 billion run rate but decreased 9.2% over the last year.

Google to FCC: Don't regulate interconnect deals

Google has asked the FCC to not regulate interconnection agreements between content providers, like Google and Netflix, and Internet service providers.If the FCC votes in favor of reclassifying broadband services under Title II on Feb. 26, the commission would have the right to regulate the behavior of ISPs and the deals they make with content providers. ISPs like Comcast and Verizon have already signed interconnect deals with some content providers to ensure better connections to their networks.

In an FCC filing, Google's Director of Communications Law Austin Schlick wrote that regardless of the decision the FCC makes with Title II reclassification, the commission should not attempt to regulate the deals.

In June, the FCC began investigating the terms of these interconnect deals, as they have been criticized for creating Internet "fast lanes." At the time, FCC Chair Tom Wheeler said the FCC was only collecting information and would not make any regulatory decisions.